Lake Zurich's Rock the Block Shines Light on Downtown

Lake Zurich’s downtown will be rockin’ for the first Rock the Block street dance festival next month.

The Sept. 14 festival serves two purposes, to raise donations for a local food pantry and to shine a new light on Lake Zurich’s downtown as part of ongoing efforts to revitalize the area.

Rock the Block will be a street dance with a couple of bands performing, children’s’ activities, a beer and wine tent and 10 to 15 food trucks, said Dave Peterson, Parks & Recreation manager. Donations for the  St. Vincent DePaul –St. Francis food pantry will be collected at the street party.

The downtown between Old Rand Road and Main Street will be closed off for Rock the Block, which will be held from 6 to 11 p.m., Peterson said.

“We thought this would be a good idea to get people to the downtown area,” he said. People are excited as they learn about Rock the Block. “There’s a lot of interest and energy,” he said.

Lake Zurich is sponsoring the festival with the Lake Zurich Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber, the Lake Zurich Lions Club and Rotary Club of Lake Zurich will be heading up the beer and wine tent and split the proceeds.

“We are starting out small this year and hope to make it bigger next year,” Peterson said.

Lake Zurich’s new village board has been working to create more special events, something residents have been wanting, Village President Tom Poynton said. The Lake Zurich Farmers Market is an example and it has proven to be a big hit, he said.

“I’m kind of psyched, we are getting things done here that were never done or not done well,” he said.

The village’s inspiration for Rock the Block was Wauconda’s Jammin' On Main Annual Street Dance, being held on Saturday, Aug. 31.

It’s a win for everyone, a fundraiser for local organizations and the food pantry and a fun time for residents, he said.

Additionally, it shows Lake Zurich’s downtown is ready to be revitalized, Poynton said.

“We want to bring people downtown and show others if you build it in Lake Zurich, they will come,” he said.